The present invention is related to photographic material processing tanks.
Expensive and complicated apparatus are utilized by commercial film processing businesses for rapidly and accurately processing photographic materials. This sophisticated and expensive equipment is not easily accessible to the amateur photographer or small professional studio. Still, it is very desirable to provide an optimum environment for processing films, papers, and plates that will have the effect of producing professional looking results. One of the requirements in processing papers is that the temperature of processing fluids be maintained within a certain range and more particularly that the temperature variation from one chemical to another be held at a bare minimum.
In the past, paper developing chemicals have been placed in metal or plastic trays. The trays, in turn, are placed in larger tanks full of warm water prior to the processing steps. The warm water, if the volume is sufficient, is at least partially effective in maintaining a low temperature differential between the several chemicals used. However, use of large volumes of water in an open tank in addition to the several processing liquid receiving trays, often leads to accidental spillage and frustration of the dark room attendant. Portable trays are not usually provided with individual drains and must be lifted and manually dumped, usually through a funnel arrangement back into their storage containers after each use. The trays are usually large, especially where processing of large prints is desired. They are therefore very difficult to handle when full of processing fluids. Spillage of the fluids, some of which are caustic, can result in damage to dark room fixtures as well as to the clothing and person of the attendant.
It therefore becomes desirable to obtain some form of unitary processing tank that includes capabilities for holding temperature differentials between adjacent trays at a bare minimum and which may be easily handled (filled and emptied) by a dark room attendant. It is also desirable to provide such a processing tank that is within the economic grasp of the average amateur photographer.